


60 Seconds

by dekusagi



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Bittersweet, F/M, Heartache, Heartbreak, One-Sided Attraction, One-Sided Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2018-10-24
Packaged: 2019-08-07 01:57:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16399217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dekusagi/pseuds/dekusagi
Summary: Luka has developed feelings for Marinette. But he knows they could never work out. He sorts through his unspoken feelings as a lifetime of "what ifs" circle his mind.





	60 Seconds

 

60 seconds. That’s all the time he needed to know how their love story would end. Part of him knew from the very beginning but he quietly ignored those feelings, hoping that he was wrong about them.

            Luka was a very quiet and relaxed guy; he loved nothing more than to play music and have a good time. However, when he met Marinette (his younger sister Juleka’s friend) something inside him had begun to change. Marinette was incredible, super cute, brave, talented… any positive trait you could think of Marinette had it. It was why Luka had been so interested in her. Her frequent visits to his boat home only increased the interest. Soon enough, Luka found himself falling for her. So much that, when she invited him to go to the ice rink, he was overflowing with happiness. Of course, he would never let that show on the outside.

That was also his problem. He internalized his feelings, as he tended to express them through his music. Talk about them? That wasn’t his thing. Thus, when he realized Marinette liked someone else, he already knew there wasn’t any point to keep chasing after someone that didn’t feel the same way towards him. So he encouraged her to pursue the one she loved.

            The brief seconds their eyes met as Marinette thanked him was enough. The kiss on the cheek sent his heart fluttering in ways he didn’t think possible. He touched his cheek as he watched her walk away, wholeheartedly wishing the best for her.

 

It was as if they had already broken up without dating. The pain he felt in his chest was too much for him to handle, yet he continued to act as if nothing was going on within him. As he walked through the streets of Paris, he decided he would take his time getting home today. Not the best idea when the ache was telling him he wanted nothing more than to be in his room. But it was what he wanted. He figured the distraction could come in handy.

The streets were quite busy as usual; every so often, he’d catch a glimpse of a couple holding hands or kissing or buying something together. He thought about getting some ice cream before he remembered what the dessert in question were famous for. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t curious but he for sure wouldn’t want to order one and it turned out to be Marinette’s colors. Or more shocking still, that they _weren’t_ Marinette’s colors. His mind began to wander, picturing him and Marinette ordering ice cream together, getting some with matching colors to each other. He shook his head. That was never going to happen and there was no sense in dwelling on it.

It wasn’t long before he kept looking around and picturing him and Marinette again. Having a picnic under the Eiffel Tower. A walk together at sunset along the Seine. Watching a movie together and offering his jacket when she got too cold. Him teaching her how to play the guitar and express herself through music. Her coming up with new outfit ideas for him to wear and him doing so with pride. He smiled to himself as he absentmindedly continued dwelling on the “what ifs” of their relationship. The biggest question that appeared over and over again taunted him, making the “what ifs” louder in his head. _What if he had met Marinette first?_

His chest now feeling heavier than ever before, Luka decided it was time to go home. He had enough of his thoughts. He had to distract himself the way he knew best.

Upon arriving, he was greeted by Juleka. He however, was too caught up in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed her. This hit a nerve for Juleka, as not being noticed was the entire reason Hawkmoth had gotten the upper hand and akumatized her.

“Um, hello? Earth to Luka?” she called out.

Snapping out of it, Luka apologetically greeted Juleka. “Oh no, sorry Jules. I didn’t mean to ignore you. I just… have a lot on my mind.”

Juleka raised an eyebrow, “that’s… surprising. Are you…. Well, are you okay?” she asked awkwardly. Hearing her brother actually say that he was troubled had caught her off guard. It seemed he realized what he had done at the same time Juleka did and, mildly embarrassed, he played it off as he got back to his calm façade again. “Oh yeah, no, I just meant about this song I’m thinking of,” he half lied. He was thinking of a song, only it was inspired by something that kept nagging at him in the back of his head.

“Well, alright then,” she chuckled awkwardly. Luka waved at his sister again as he closed the door to his room. Before anything, he threw himself on his bed, exhaustion washing over him. For whatever reason he just couldn’t stop thinking about Marinette. Her laugh, her smile, her adorable freckles, her fearlessness, her awkwardness that unapologetically made her who she was... He loved every single thing about her.

            He continued where he had left off in his thoughts about the “what ifs”. Luka thought that he and Marinette could honestly have a good and happy relationship. One where they supported each other and understood each other; one where he would serenade to her on dates and she’d be silently drawing at his side as he did so.

 But then… he pictured it. He pictured the dreaded day coming, the image all too real in his head it was hard to breathe.

He sat up on his bed as quickly as he had thrown himself on it. His hands begun to shake, his vision blurred. Soon enough, tears began to stream on his face. Surprised and scared, he wiped them away as he tried to recollect his thoughts again. Only the same scenario kept popping up, over and over again.

 

Luka and Marinette would have a happy relationship no doubt. However, there would come a day where Marinette realized she could not give every bit of herself to Luka. In short, she loved him. But she wasn’t _in love_ with him. For her sake and his, she would explain to him how she felt and gently break up with him, giving him back the guitar pick that he had given her long ago as her way to move on. It hurt. It hurt so much but Luka understood. And he let her go. Much like today, he would always put Marinette’s happiness before his. He would always let her go without question. And it was this vivid image that hurt him more than ever before.

            He breathed in deeply, calmly himself before Hawkmoth even got a whiff of his sadness. There was no way he wanted to be akumatized. He pull out a pen and notebook and began to write. Not long after this, it had begun to rain. He stared at the rain, almost grateful to the sky for choosing to cry in his place. Now that his mind and heart were cleared, it was easier to continue to act like he always did.

He was sure on two things: the first being, he liked Marinette. So much that it physically hurt. He dared to think that he… he loved her. The second though, he knew deep down inside of him that they would never work out. He accepted it without question. He knew those 60 seconds that he looked into her eyes and let her go that they were not meant to be.

He would always let her go. If that’s what it took to see her smile, then that was all he needed.

 

And that was exactly what the cords of his new song would be about.

**Author's Note:**

> "60 seconds is enough for this story  
> You have disappeared from my life  
> I didn’t hold onto you, I saw your heart  
> in this not-so-short time  
> That’s the kind of person you are, a story that’s enough for me  
> Your message has been clearly told  
> You said you were hurting and I let you go that last time"
> 
>  
> 
> Based on the song 60 seconds by Kim Sunggyu. Give that a watch! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgoHQJQ1ORY
> 
> EDIT: I made a playlist for this! Go check it out! https://8tracks.com/pinkydream/and-you-let-her-go


End file.
